Dani sat and stared out the window over an hour later. Luca still hadn't returned, but almost immediately after he left Lars appeared with two guards who were stationed on either side of the glass dome. Lars had come inside to make sure she was alright and to search the small space quickly, to make sure no one had gotten inside in the small span of time Luca had been gone.Dani jumped when the door opened, her face lighting up hopefully, but her disappointment was obvious when it was only Lars."They think they caught a scent and they're trying to chase him down." Lars explained, settling into one of the chairs."And you're my babysitter?" Dani attempted to say the words in a joking tone, but they fell flat."I have a feeling that this isn't the night that Luca had planned either." Lars turned and offered her a weak smile. "And I know we haven't had much time to talk since you only just arrived and it's always a bit of a whirlwind with our pack and Luca keeps me pretty busy.""Probabl
"Will you stay and be my Luna, Andraste?" His voice was steady, but his body trembled with desire and she could tell that he wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him."Fuck. Luca. Yes. I'm not going anywhere. I want to be with you. I need you. Now please." Her last words were breathless and desperate.He moved back and for a moment she thought that he hadn't believed her, that he hadn't accepted her words, but then he was stripping her shirt off over her head and pulling her shorts down past her legs. His own boxers joined them quickly on the floor. He was as impatient as she was to finally be joined together as mates."You're certain?" His lips were close to her ear as his hands ran eagerly down her sides. "We can wait." She felt his breath against her neck as his body hovered over her own, holding back and waiting for her reply."I want you, Luca. Now. Tonight. You are my mate. Please. I'm already so wet for you." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pullin
"It's too early to be alive." His mouth found her mark as his hand trailed up the outside of her thigh, causing her to gasp and turn towards him, her eyes flashing with annoyance when she managed to open them. She stared up at the glass dome above them, and the stars beyond the glass and the trees, and she realized that it was still dark. There wasn't even a hint of light dying the edges of the sky pink."Are you serious, Luca?" Dani moaned the words, wiggling to get away from him, before the pleasure that she felt coursing through her body and radiating from her mark, completely took control of her mind."You knew we had to be up early. And I am up." He pulled her tightly against his chest and she felt his hard on rub lightly against her thigh."If you're dragging me out of bed right now you probably should take a cold shower, so I can get another ten minutes of sleep. Then you can tell me how important it is that I get dressed and that we hurry back to your home for some ridiculo
"I want you to promise me that you aren't going to get into a fight with him this time." Dani had been snuggled up against Luca's side for nearly an hour, one hand intertwined with his, her head resting on his shoulder, when the words slipped from her lips, spoken so softly that she hoped that no one in the front seat would be able to hear them."I will not instigate a fight. I can at least promise you that." He said the words after a long silence and she immediately recognized the loophole in them, sitting up and pulling slightly away from him, but letting one hand linger on his thigh as she turned her face to meet his eyes, looking extremely worried."Luca." Her voice was loud enough this time that the two men in the front seat would clearly be able to hear the conversation. But Dani was desperate and she needed them to come to an agreement before they arrived back at home. "You just don't know him like I do.""Obviously Dani." Luca's eyes darkened as he took what she said in ent
"Vos. Emery. Everyone. Welcome to Alaska. And thank you for making the arduous journey. I hope that you were comfortable on your way here yesterday and during your stay last night." Alpha Luca West said the words as he and his mate stepped out onto the large deck of the nicest restaurant in town, Fire and Ice, which had clearly been reserved for their party. Several of the largest tables had been pushed together, and most of the members of the group had already arrived when Luca led Dani through the restaurant and out to meet the group that was waiting for them. Dani smiled nervously at everyone, her eyes meeting Emery's first and her smile becoming more genuine as Emery beamed at her happily. Perhaps this brunch wouldn't be so awkward after all, she thought as Luca squeezed her hand lightly. Dani was not usually particularly anxious, but she felt so unsure of herself in this new role of Luna, and meeting with another Alpha and pack leaders most certainly was in a Luna's job descrip
Soon the table was covered in trays of food, a mix of savory and sweet. There were pancakes and waffles and doughnuts along with berries and cream and powdered sugar and grapes. And then there were skillet potatoes, different types of toast, bagels and biscuits and every type of egg she could imagine. And there were mimosas and champagne.Dani stared at the table and wondered if it would collapse under the weight of so much food. Even with this many werewolves there was no way they would even be able to put a dent in all of this, she thought with a shake of her head.Once every plate was full, Dani lifted a strawberry to her lips and thought that it was the sweetest thing that she'd ever tasted. But she'd only just completed that thought, and hadn't even finished chewing, when the pleasant brunch that they had been having ended rather abruptly and became something else entirely.Dani felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up a moment before she raised her eyes and saw Lyra st
"Lyra is the absolute worst." Dani stared at her old Luna, her eyes widening in surprise. She was quite certain that in all the years that she had known Emery she had never heard her say a truly unpleasant word about anyone. And while she agreed wholeheartedly that Lyra was in fact, the absolute worst, she was still somewhat startled to hear those words coming out of Emery's mouth. She was just so perfect that Dani wasn't even sure she was capable of gossiping. "Don't you agree?" Emery nudged her with a knowing smile after another moment of silence. "She knit a sweater for your daughter?" Dani finally cracked a smile as they walked away from the restaurant, headed towards the shops and boutiques of downtown Lovellton."That was ridiculous. I mean I knew she didn't knit it. It had tags. And we hardly spoke at that conference. She sent it because all the packs did. I know she was just looking for an excuse to crash brunch. What the Hell is she still doing here?" Emery shook her head
Dani was completely alone for the first time since she'd met Luca and it felt fantastic. She knew that if Luca knew that she was alone he wouldn't have approved, but being watched all the time was tiring and so she had come home from a morning of shopping and lunch with Emery exhausted. Dani had taken a shower and after finally picking up her phone, which had been sitting where she'd left it for two days, she had plopped down on Luca's enormous bed without putting on a stitch of clothing, and propped herself up on her elbows to check her messages. There was one from her mother, after brunch this morning, gushing about her mark and how perfect it was. She rolled her eyes. She needed to check in with Luca about meeting with the doctors and making sure everything was going smoothly with Clara Beth, but it really did seem that getting her mother out of their old town and away from her old friends had been a good thing.There were a couple texts from friends back in her old pack, ask
This is the last chapter. Thank you all for supporting me! Wish you all the best in life. Lots of love!"Come on Dani, you can't be late to your own baby shower!" Stella was dragging her down the hall as Dani rolled her eyes. "I can't move that fast anymore Stella. I know that you've never been pregnant yet but ask Emery. It slows you down. Especially twins." "She just can't wait to see her Bestie. Fern. They haven't gotten to see each other in a month since the last council meeting of Alpha's when Kent was officially sworn in. Do you know how moppy my husband has been since he lost his third in command?" She turned her eyes accusingly on Dani who ignored the question, instead turning towards Stella. "I thought I was your Bestie!" She said in a teasing tone. "We're all best friends you guys." Stella linked arms with the other two women as she walked between the two Lunas, slowing her pace. "And when is the next time we're all going to be together?" "Probaby when she pops?" Emery
"Now lets see if this fits." He helped her slide the ring onto the fourth finger on her left hand and she finally got a good look at it. The ring was a simple, gorgeous, round cut diamond and it fit perfectly when he slipped it onto her finger."I love it." She said, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face against his chest. "It's perfect." As she pulled away her eyes drifted back outside to the valley below. "You still haven't told me where we are. Where did you buy a home?""Kittilä." He replied, staring out the window at the beautiful white landscape below.She shook her head. "I have no idea where that is.""Lapland. We're in Finland in the Artic Circle. I promised you Northern Lights. I know it's early in the year still but so help me I'm giving us our best chance at Northern Lights on our week long trip. At least we're pretty far north this time." "We could just wait a bit until it's later in the year.""I don't want my mate to have to wait for anything after
"Where are we?" she asked as he began to lead her, blindfolded, towards the door of their personal jet. It wasn't tropical or humid. In fact, it was rather cold and she hadn't even stepped outside yet.Dani had slept for so long on the plane that she had no idea how long they'd been flying. They could be anywhere at all in the world. And she was impatient to know where Luca had taken them and what exactly his plans were. She had never been good at waiting for surprises."Kitten, you told me that you were going to let me make this a surprise for you. Don't try to peak now." One of his hands was on her side, as he tucked a long puffy jacket over her shoulders."Is this new?" she asked as he helped slide her arms into the sleeves."Here, step. How do these boots feel?" he ignored her question as he helped her into a pair of comfortable new boots that she couldn't see."They feel perfect. How long have you been planning this? And where are we?" Her hands, which were now being warmed
"Do you know that you are approximately eight weeks pregnant?" The doctor's eyes were glued to her face when she asked the question, as Dani sat on the bed frozen, feeling her own eyes grow wide."I- I-" whatever it was she had thought to say was trapped inside her head so she let out the breath she only just realized she'd been holding and tried again. "I guess I had begun to suspect it in the last few days. I'd just started to feel sick. And the healing thing.""The healing thing?""I don't know if you noticed my old injuries? Dani began."Yes. Your wolf actually was able to heal most of your injuries before you got here. There wasn't all that much to do. You didn't even need stitches. It was impressive. But we checked you over carefully for other injuries and we could tell that there were old injuries that hadn't healed the way they should have if you'd had your healing abilities intact, and that those were both bone breaks and the ones that included your old scars.""Just bef
It was morning when Dani woke up in a hospital bed in New York City. She blinked, gazing around at the brightly lit room. In a moment Luca was by her side. "This room is insane." she whispered, her throat feeling scratchy and dry.Somehow Luca had managed to get her a corner room with glass windows that made up a huge portion of the walls with incredible views of the city. Before she'd spoken and woke him up, she realized, he had been sleeping in a comfortable looking recliner. And her bed was much more comfortable than a typical looking hospital bed. The sheets and blankets looked like they should have been in a fancy hotel."The doctor will want to know that you're awake. They wouldn't tell me anything until you woke up. But it looks like your healing is accelerated again for some reason. As soon as they removed the knife I could tell that it wasn't like before. Your wolf started to help with your healing. I should have noticed it earlier in the cuts and bruises from your fight wi
Dani knew that Luca had won his fight, somewhere behind her, when she smelled the blood of Beta Reed spill across the cold tile of the floor. She knew Beta Reed well. He'd taken his turn torturing her when she lived here. He was every bit as cruel as his Alpha and she felt her snout curl in an approximation of a smile before she focused back on the battle before her. She had an idea of how she might take down this Alpha, but it was risky.Could she get Alpha Harding to let down his guard because he believed her so weak she wasn't worth guarding against? It would be ridiculous for him to do it, but he was an Alpha, and nothing if not arrogant beyond measure.Dani charged at him again, doing the exact same thing she had done the previous time. This time he sent her sprawling with another powerful blow of his paw. She noticed that his claws weren't even extended. He'd never once hurt her in his wolf form. He preferred to torture her as a human.He'd hit her hard and she'd slid all the
Dani shoved down the wave of nausea that tried the push its way up her throat. She didn't have time for any of that. If she survived the attack she would worry about what the way she had been feeling these past few days might mean.She hadn't gone into heat. What were the odds of getting pregnant if she hadn't gone into heat when she was with Luca? Hell, she'd never gone into heat once in her entire life. Privately, she'd believed it was because Harding had done something to break her body, between the hard physical abuse and the injections. She'd intended to talk with Luca about it, but the time never seemed right. And she hadn't really known if her body didn't work the way the Goddess had intended it to, which had made it even harder to bring the subject up. After all, what exactly would she say.When she'd tried to bring it up with Dr. Evans, back at Harvest Moon, the doctor had ordered an ultrasound and some blood work and had then assured Dani that everything looked to be in wo
"Thank you for joining us Fern." Alpha Harding hadn't looked up, and Stella, with her now human hearing abilities, hadn't heard the frail looking girl arrive, but when he said her name, every head in the room immediately turned in her direction.The little maid looked nothing like she had when she had first knocked on the door to Stella's room. Stella remembered that Alpha Harding had mentioned earlier that "they" had picked out a dress together. Stella was certain that Fern had had no part in picking out this dress. Like so much of Lyra's clothing it was crimson red, just like the lipstick that was now smeared across Fern's full lips.The dress itself was simple. It was cut low on top, with Fern's small, full, round breasts, which fit her frame nicely, nearly spilling out of it. On the bottom it was so short that Stella could tell that the little maid's fingers were itching to tug it down so that it would cover more.As a child who had been forced to wear many dresses that she was
"It smells like summertime. Like rainbows. Like everything that's good and pure in the world." Waylon was following close behind Dani, as he had been since she first left Alaska, but she had never felt so tempted to give him a good hard smack upside the head. "Head in the game, Parker. What are you drunk?" she hissed the words under her breath as she moved forward through the dark tunnel, her steps slow and silent, her mind vaguely registering her own surprise at knowing his last name. "If I didn't know any better I would think that you just found-" she let her whispered words trail off in the middle of her sentence.No. That was impossible. The odds of what she had almost suggested were a thousand to one and it would be cruel to give Waylon that sort of hope, especially when they were on this sort of a mission and she had no particular reason to believe that it was true. It was more likely that the poor man hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in the last week, since he was so worri